An earlier release had quoted Australian defence attaché Matthew Dudley as saying the visit would promote defense cooperation between the two countries, which was established in 1999 and reaffirmed during a meeting between defense ministers in Canberra in February this year.

The Australian Defense Force has trained more than 1,300 officers of Vietnam People's Army in Vietnam and Australia since 1999, and is now helping the Vietnamese army to prepare for their future participation in peacekeeping operations, Dudley had said.